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My mother’s death taught me the danger of our roads

We need 20mph limits everywhere people live, work or shop

Natalie Bennett

September 27 2012, 1:01am, The Times

Twenty three years ago I was in a car crash in which my mother was killed. It was one of the defining events of my life but I thought very hard before referring to it in my first speech as Green Party leader.

This was because I think politics should be about policies, not personal experiences, but also because I had to be sure I could remain in control of my emotions as I spoke. Such grief, I think, is for most people a weight in the pit of the stomach that never goes away.

Many people said to me afterwards that they were glad I had spoken about my mother’s death — often they had suffered a similar loss too. Yet what surprised me is…